


run boy run

by iamirondad



Series: "fragile things, helpless things, broken things" whumptober 2020 [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Gen, Happy Hogan is a Good Bro, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Precious Ned Leeds, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Protective Michelle Jones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26838871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamirondad/pseuds/iamirondad
Summary: Peter looked to Michelle and Ned, who had tears, in their eyes, “What’s happening?”Happy turned, “Witness protection.”Peter swallowed a lump, in this throat, “Apart?”Happy bobbed his head, “It has to be.”May erupted, “No, it doesn’t.”“It does,” Michelle raised, “I know a bit about it, and because, all of us, are the clearest targets in this, putting us together, would put us at risk.”TLDR: Peter, Michelle, May, and Ned have to go into Witness Protection following the events of Far From home
Relationships: Clint Barton & Peter Parker, Happy Hogan & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & May Parker (Spider-Man), Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & May Parker (Spider-Man), Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: "fragile things, helpless things, broken things" whumptober 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947778
Comments: 9
Kudos: 129
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	run boy run

Peter was sure Michelle was speaking, in an attempt to reassure him, but he couldn’t hear through the thumping in his ears, or process anything new. He was falling, possibly having an anxiety attack, but he couldn’t claw back to the surface.

The world knew who he was, and they were manipulated, to believe, that he was the bad guy.

Peter swung him and Michelle away, as fast as possible, they sought refuge, tucked away down a deserted alleyway. 

“Hey,” Michelle gently reached out, resting a hand against Peter’s cheek, “You okay?”

Peter slowly turned, “Huh?”

“Are you okay?” She shook her head, “I mean, physically—” She scanned him, head to toe, “Are you hurt? You hit a few walls, on the way here.”

“I’m good,” He lied, raising his hand to grip onto her arm, “Are you—"

“Aside from the travel sickness, I’m fine.” She motioned her head to the ground, “I’d like it if you sat down.”

He hiccupped, “I’m fine.”

“You’re panicking—” She kept a loose hold on him, ready to let go if he needed space, but he wanted her close, “That’s understandable.”

He held on tighter, to her bicep, “I can’t—"

Worry filled her voice, “Peter?”

“I can’t keep you safe.” Tears filled his eyes, he shook his head frantically, “Any of you.”

She took his other hand, holding them up, close, “Let’s concentrate on you.”

“I’m the bad guy.”

“They only believe that, because it’s what they’ve seen,” She interrupted, “But it’s doctored—”

Peter ducked his head, muttering, under his breath, “And these days, they’ll believe anything.”

She raised an eyebrow, “What?”

“That’s what he said.” He swallowed, “Beck.” He held his head up, to look her in the eye, “People these days, they’ll believe anything they see.”

She clenched her jaw, “Then they’re dumb.”

“I guess.”

She tilted her head to her shoulder, “We’re gonna fix this.”

“I hope so.”

A car swung around the corner, clumsily parking up at the end of the alleyway, blocking their only way out and in, on foot.

Peter flinched, tightening his grip around Michelle’s arm, but she moved over, putting herself, in front of him.

She squeaked, stepping aside, “Oh—”

It was Happy, he hung out of the driver’s side door, beckoning them over, “Get in now!”

Michelle gripped Peter’s hand and pulled him over, towards the car. She threw the back door open, pushing him inside, and clambering in, behind him. She reached over, buckling him in, as he stared ahead, placid. She moved into the middle seat, locking her fingers around his.

Happy climbed back in and floored it, “Are you okay?” He bellowed, “Besides the obvious.” 

Peter gasped, “Yeah.”

Michelle leaned forward, “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere safe.” Happy explained, “May and Ned are already there.”

Peter fidgeted with the side of his suit, his mask was in his other hand, “What’s going to happen to us?”

“We’ll get to that later.”

Peter rolled his eyes, “Happy—”

“Kid, Tony already had a plan in place, for this,” Happy said, fast, “I’m following it.” He turned, abruptly, heading down an empty street, “A call has been made for your arrest, from high up, and well, there’s also already a ransom on your head.”

Michelle spoke, “But it wasn’t him.”

“It’s going to take some time to prove that, I’m afraid.”

Their voices drowned out, into white noise.

Peter’s chest raised and fell, with infrequent breaths, all he had to ground him, was Michelle’s killer grasp, around his hand. They’d been dating, for four days, but in her eyes, was the same determination, Peter had seen in Pepper’s, around Tony. The fear too, Pepper had to let Tony go, and Peter never wanted to put Michelle, in that situation.

Peter didn’t realize, how far his mind had wandered, until they were walking, up a set of stairs, of an obviously abandoned apartment complex. 

“Hey,” Michelle rested a hand on his back, “You’re okay, you’re with us.”

Happy was a few steps ahead, “You must have hit your head pretty hard out there, buddy.”

Michelle guided Peter up, holding on to his hand, tightly, “He was protecting me.”

Happy stopped, outside a high-tech looking front door, “That’s Peter, for you.” He reached out, placing a hand on Peter’s arm, “We should take a look at you.”

Peter shook his head, “I’m fine.” He lied, again, “I’ve hit my head before.”

“I know,” Happy pressed his hand, on a biometric scanner, on the right-hand side of the door, “But a concussion is a concussion.”

“It’s not,” Peter sniffled, “Edith says it’s shock.”

Happy nodded, “Makes sense.”

Michelle turned, “I thought you said, she wasn’t working.”

He slouched his shoulders, “I didn’t wanna worry you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” She told him, “We’re in this together, okay?”

Peter hesitated, “Okay.”

Happy pushed the door open after it clicked.

The apartment was laid out like one of the communal lounges at the Avengers Headquarters, but smaller.

May and Ned were sat on the couch, hand-in-hand.

May leaped up, sprinting over, pulling both of them into a hug, “Oh, Thank Goodness.”

Ned hurried over, wrapping an arm around Peter, “Dude, I’m so sorry—”

Peter looked at his best friend’s red-rimmed eyes, and puffy cheeks, finally coming to terms with the fact, that his life, wasn’t the only one that Beck ruined, “Me too—”

“Pete…” Happy locked the door and moved aside, pulling open a draw, taking out a pile of clean clothes, “Put these on.”

Peter took them off him, “What’s gonna happen to the suit?”

“I’ll take it.”

“Okay,” Peter rushed into the bathroom and quickly changed. He was glad nobody could see the bruises, against his hips and arms, from where he’d bashed into buildings, trying to flee the scene, with Michelle.

He rushed back out when May started screaming expletives.

He raised his voice, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” May cried, “This can’t happen.”

“May,” Happy lowered his voice, “It’s the only way.”

She bellowed, “I’m not leaving him!”

Peter looked to Michelle and Ned, who had tears, in their eyes, “What’s happening?”

Happy turned, “Witness protection.”

Peter swallowed a lump, in this throat, “Apart?”

Happy bobbed his head, “It has to be.”

May erupted, “No, it doesn’t.”

“It does,” Michelle raised, “I know a bit about it, and because, all of us, are the clearest targets in this, putting us together, would put us at risk.”

Peter stood aside, lowering his head.

“Yeah,” Happy followed, “This isn’t permanent, but for now, it is all I can do, to keep safe.”

May folded her arms, “I don’t like this.”

Ned looked to Michelle, then back to Happy, “What about our parents?”

“They’ll be safe.” 

Happy moved over to the window, opening it - it wasn’t an everyday window, it opened, like a door, leaving a good, twenty feet drop, to the ground below.

“Tony thought of everything,” Happy moved, opening a filing cabinet, “And, he did this because he knew he had too.”

“Um, I never really met Stark, only a few times, at Decathlon meets,” Michelle pointed to the folders, her voice low, “How—"

“You’ve got a file,” Happy said, “Tony knew how Peter felt, and he was always a few steps ahead.”

Michelle turned, to look at him, with a small sad smile.

“I don’t know what’s in these,” Happy waved them, “Only you, should know, what’s in your folder. It guarantees that you are _safe_. Friday knows the information, but it can’t be unlocked unless a distress call is made.”

He handed them out, one by one, and everybody stood apart, as they opened them.

Peter let his eyes wander, and he caught a quick glimpse of Michelle’s fake ID.

Mary-Jane Watson. _Hm_ , nice name.

He turned away, pretending to have never have seen it. He pulled out his own fake ID, his name was _Thomas Barton_ – it was quite obvious where he was heading.

“How—” Peter studied it, “How do these fake IDs have the—post _Infinity War_ dates on them.”

“They may not look like it,” Happy said, “But they’re being controlled, by Friday, she’s automatically changed them to fit today.”

Michelle snickered, “Stark had a few tricks up his sleeve.”

Peter nodded, “That was Tony.”

“The Iron Legion with pick you up and drop you off,” Happy said, crossing his arms, “They’re programmed to your individual protection program.” He held out his hand, “Ned, your first.”

Ned nodded, eyes filled to the brim, with tears, “Okay.”

May placed a hand on Ned’s shoulder, “And then?”

“MJ, May, and then..” He pointed, "...You, Pete.”

"Okay..."

Happy sank, "I'm gonna need your phones." 

They all tossed their phones, onto the coffee table.

Happy gave them coats, to keep warm, and a rucksack, to store their folders, _their new lives_ , for the journey.

Peter couldn't wait any longer, he rushed across the room, tugging Ned and Michelle, into his arms, “I’m sorry,” He sobbed, burying his face, against their shoulders, “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Ned’s voice cracked, “This isn’t your fault.”

They pulled back, holding each other’s hands.

Michelle chuckled, with a trembling lower lip, “Our lives wouldn’t be half as interesting without you.”

Ned managed a smile, “Yeah, this is kinda cool, in an action movie kind of way.”

Michelle nudged Peter’s shoulder, with a closed fist, “Not your fault Beck was an ass.”

They laughed, despite the situation.

“Stay safe,” Peter cried, “Please.”

A suit flew through the window, silencing them.

Ned squeezed Peter’s hand, as tight as possible, “See you around.”

Peter held on, until Ned pulled away, “Bye.”

May reached over, pressing a kiss against Ned’s cheek, “Be careful, sweetheart.”

“I will,” The suit grabbed him, gently, “Bye.”

He zoomed off, into the distance.

Michelle spun, grabbing Peter’s hands, “Be careful, don’t take any risks,” He rambled, “The best thing, you can do is, lay low.”

“I will."

Her suit flew in.

She wasn’t fazed by it, “I’m gonna see you, real soon, loser,” She leaned in, kissing him, “Okay?”

He nodded, “Bye—”

Michelle stepped away, hugging May, before being flown away.

Peter stood, tears blinding his vision. He brushed them away, with the back of his hand, and looked up, at May. The only constant, in his life, and they were being torn apart, “May?”

She hurried over, throwing her arms around him, “Listen to me,” She whispered, “Do not blame yourself, for any of this. You did nothing wrong.” She leaned back, cradling his cheek, “You are a hero, and Beck was the bad guy, everybody will see that soon, even, even if it doesn’t look like it.”

“I know.”

“Eat three meals a day, drink water, get enough sleep,” Her mouth twitched into a smile, “And I’ll see you soon.”

His chin trembled, as May’s suit flew in, “I love you.”

She leaned up, pressing a kiss against his forehead, “Love you too, sweetie.”

He couldn’t watch, as she was scooped away.

“Hey, kiddo.” Happy moved over, wrapping an arm around Peter’s back, “I’m gonna fight this, with everything I’ve got. As soon as Friday can guarantee your collective safety, I’m bringing you back home.”

“I know,” He leaned his head, on Happy’s shoulder, “Thank you.”

Peter’s suit flew inside, standing idle.

Happy pulled Peter closer, with a secure unwavering grip, “I’ll see you soon, Pete,” He said like he had no intention of letting go.

Peter pulled free, knowing it was impossible for Happy to, “Bye, Happy.”

The suit grabbed Peter, and jumped out, heading to the sky.

Peter gripped on, looking around.

They shored, above the cloud belt, out of sight.

Peter leaned his head, against the shoulder of the suit, and closed his eyes. This would be the closest he’d get to Tony, ever again, but somehow, the comfort of the cold metallic suit, was all he needed. His imagination gave him Tony, and that was enough.

They flew, for a while, more than two hours. The suit’s grip never faltered, or dropped – bit by bit, Peter was able to look down, despite being terrified of falling.

The sun was going down when the suit started heading down. Peter turned his head, to see. He could see a farm and a house. It looked like a home, but not his.

The suit carefully placed him down, on his feet, “Thank you.”

Peter flinched when it answered, but it wasn’t Friday’s voice that greeted him, it was Tony’s, “ _No problem, kid_.”

Peter smiled, tears swimming in his eyes, “Keep them safe.” 

The suit nodded, before shutting down.

The front door, of the house, swung open, and Clint hurried out, “Peter!” He stopped, when he was near enough, “Hey, kiddo.” He gestured to the suit, “I had a feeling you’d be dropping by.” He placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder, “How you doing?”

“I’m okay,” Peter breathed, “Just—"

“It’s a lot, buddy,” Clint patted his arm, “Nobody’s gonna blame you for having a tough time.”

“The footage was—"

“Doctored?” Clint raised his eyebrows, “Oh, we know.” He smiled, “From what Tony told me, you couldn’t even hurt a fly, and you’re terribly humble. This Mysterio guy, got you all wrong, trying to tell the world you want to be the next Iron Man _. Nah_ , you were perfectly fine being Spider-Man, right?”

Peter nodded, slowly.

“You will be again, one day, I promise.”

“You know about the witness protection thing?”

“Oh yes,” Clint nodded, “Tony proposed this idea, a few months before Thanos, and I accepted.”

“You were on house arrest—” Peter remembered, “Don’t the people who want me, know where you are?”

“No, the only people who know about this place, are the Avengers, and Nick Fury.” He said, waving his hand towards the house, “Tony helped with the house arrest so that nobody else would ever know where I lived.”

Laura walked out, “Oh, Peter.” She jogged over, pulling him into a hug, “We were so worried.” She held him close, “Welcome home, kiddo.”

“Thank you.”

“You’ll fit right in.” Clint chuckled, “According to the birth certificate upstairs, you’re our eldest son.”

Peter laughed a little, as the pair guided him up, towards the house.

He inclined his head, looking up, at the sky, praying that his family were safe, wherever they'd ended up.

**Author's Note:**

> This is similar to a whumptober prompt I wrote last year, the only difference is this one doesn't end as happily, as they get separated, haha. 
> 
> Alright, tomorrow's prompt is, particularly sad - so I hope you're ready for some iron family angst.


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